Lake Tyler was constructed in 1949, and covers approximately 2,400 surface acres. This lake has served as the major source of water supply since its construction. Lake Tyler also serves as a major recreation center for this area, under strict sanitary controls. The Lake Tyler Department maintains six park areas adjacent to the lake. Lake Tyler is located on Prairie Creek, a tributary of Mud Creek, and lies in the Angelina River watershed. It has storage capacity of over 15 billion gallons (43,500 acre feet) at spillway elevation and has an average depth of 17.6 feet. It has a watershed area of 42 square miles (27,000 acres).